


Percy and Annabeth's Adventures on Public Transport

by bananannabeth



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 14:44:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6288664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bananannabeth/pseuds/bananannabeth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy doesn't have the best luck when it comes to trains, but Annabeth always seems to appear at the right time to save the day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tripped Up

**Author's Note:**

> based on my own sad life and poor luck when it comes to public transport. if only i had an annabeth to save my days.

He had three minutes to catch his train, and the laces on his left shoe had come undone and were whipping violently against his feet as he jogged down the stairs. If he wasn’t careful he was going to stand on them and trip and break his neck. It was a risk he was willing to take, because the sooner he got on the train the sooner he could get home to his mom and her delicious dinner - and, by extension, the sooner he could leave this crappy day behind.

Percy Jackson wasn’t a big fan of school to begin with, contending with ADHD and dyslexia, but when a pop quiz and bullies were added to the mix, it became unbearable.

And yeah, Percy probably could have handled the situation better - but when that shit of a senior started laying in to that freshman out on the football field he’d just lost it. It wasn’t like he’d hurt him, or anything. He’d just yelled at him to cool down and then sprayed him with the industrial strength hose.

Everyone else seemed to think it was pretty funny.

His principal was not as amused.

God, when Sally found out about the suspension she was going to be so disappointed.

Caught up in feeling guilty and annoyed, Percy lost track of his laces and stepped right on top of them on the very last step. His balance was immediately thrown off and he pitched forward, arms flailing at his sides. He was going to faceplant, right here, in front of everyone, and then he’d definitely miss his train and -

“Whoa.” A pair of small but strong hands pressed against his chest, pushing him back.

Percy blinked down at the hands as he steadied himself, and then he blinked up at the person who the hands belonged to, and his breath caught in his throat.

She was gorgeous. About his age, wearing the uniform of a posh private school a few blocks over from his apartment building. She’d pulled her golden hair back into a ponytail, but a few loose strands were curling around her ears. She looked amused, grey eyes glinting and mouth pressed into a small smile.

“You should probably tie your laces when you’re running down stairs.” she said, letting her hands fall back to her sides.

He missed the sensation immediately. “Ha, yeah, that would be the clever thing to do.”

Her smile shifted in to a smirk as he blushed. She shifted, just the tiniest turn of her shoulders, and Percy realised she was about to leave.

“Thanks for catching me,” he blurted.

She laughed lightly. “I couldn’t just let you fall.”

Too late, Percy thought.

“I’m Percy.” He stuck out a hand for her to shake.

She took it, still smirking. When she wrapped her fingers around his, something in Percy’s chest clicked in to place. “I’m Annabeth.”

An announcement rang out over the speakers, signalling the departure of Percy’s train, but he found that he didn’t really mind.

“Hi, Annabeth.”


	2. Out of Line

Percy blinked as the announcement rang out over the train’s loudspeakers, declaring their arrival at a station that was most definitely not on his line. His stomach sank as his mind began to race over the possibilities; he’d checked the sign, he’d checked the platform number, he’d checked… and yet obviously he hadn’t checked enough, because the train he was on was now pulling into a station that he had never seen before in his life.

Figuring he didn’t want to get any further along on the wrong line, he shuffled awkwardly down the centre aisle, clutching the straps of his backpack and trying to clamp down the panic rising up his throat. He followed the line of commuters who obviously knew where they were going off the train, along the platform and up the ramp at the end.

Percy had no idea where he was. As the commuters in their business attire filtered off to their cars and their well-trod paths home, Percy was left standing at the top of the ramp, staring up at a sign with a font that he couldn’t quite read and wondering how the hell he’d ended up here.

He did a spin, looking for any familiar landmarks, but all he could see were small houses, a dingy looking station waiting room, and a lone taxi sitting in the taxi rank. Shit.

He turned back to the sign above his head, willing the letters to reorder themselves into something legible. He thought maybe they were almost getting there when a voice sounded from beside him.

“Percy?”

He dropped his eyes and his jaw. Standing in front of him was Annabeth, in casual clothes this time: a pair of light blue jean shorts and a white t-shirt that clung to all the places her boxy school dress had hidden from view. For a delirious second, Percy thought that she was a mirage, conjured up by his panicked brain.

“Annabeth?”

She was real, and she was frowning at him. “Are you okay?”

He lifted a hand to rub the back of his neck, wondering if there was any possible way to explain what had happened without sounding like a total dick. “Bit of a funny story… I somehow ended up on the wrong train, and I have no idea where I am.”

Annabeth’s grey eyes widened. “Oh. Shit. You really don’t have good luck with train stations, do you?”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I’m having a pretty shit run, lately.”

“Where are you trying to get to?” When he told her, she blew a stream of air between her pursed lips, eyebrows knotted together. “Shit, Percy. You’ve come half an hour in the wrong direction.”

“How wrong is the direction?”

She pointed her two index fingers in completely the opposite ways and he grimaced. Sally was going to kill him; he was meant to be helping her cook dinner tonight. Now he’d be lucky if he made it home in time for dinner at all.

“Do you happen to know when the next train back into the city is?”

Annabeth’s sympathetic grimace melted into a terrifying scowl. “More bad news. There was meant to be a train five minutes ago, but it’s been cancelled. They’re not saying why, but the next one’s not for another forty five minutes. I was just going to complain to the staff when I saw you.”

Percy realised suddenly that this was quite far from Annabeth’s school. Focusing on that seemed easier than processing the fact that the next train was forty five minutes away, so he asked, “What are you doing out here, anyway?”

“I have a friend who goes to a fancy boarding school here, I came to visit her.”

“A fancy boarding school? Here?” He looked at the weatherboard houses and graffitied street signs and found it hard to imagine the word ‘fancy’ being applied to anything in this general area.

“Yeah, I know, it’s hard to imagine. It’s on the edge of town, more like its own separate little neighbourhood, really. Apparently having it out of the city ‘builds character’.” 

Percy snorted, and Annabeth laughed. 

God, he was glad she was there. Her presence alone had calmed his panic, and even though the situation still sucked, he thought that it was at least bearable, now.

She looked at him suddenly, straight in the eyes, and Percy got the feeling that she was appraising him. “So. Either we wait here for an absurdly long amount of time and catch a train that will take an even longer amount of time to get us back into the city, and which we then have to swap out for another train home, or…”

She trailed off, glancing at something out of the corner of her eye, and Percy prompted, “Or what?”

“Or we split a taxi back to our neighbourhood.” When Percy went to protest, she quickly added, “It’s the quickest way! And we can split the cost, now that there’s two of us.”

He thought of the three dollar bills in his wallet and the debit card that he saved for emergencies. He didn’t even know how much was on there. He tried to sound casual, but his voice came out tight as he asked, “How much will it be?”

Annabeth pulled out her phone and opened an app, typing in their location and destination. “Approximately fifty five dollars.”

He paled. “I don’t know -”

“I’ll pay for it,” she said brusquely, pressing another button the app. A tiny car appeared on the map on the screen. “If you don’t want to split it. I’ll go by myself, if you’d prefer to wait for the train. But I can’t -”

“Annabeth, hey, whoa, slow down.” He gently gripped her shoulder, and she lifted her head. Her mouth was set in a hard line, her chin raised, but her eyes were softening with every moment he held onto her. “I want to split it, I do, but I’m just not sure if I…”

He couldn’t quite bring himself to say it: I’m not sure if I can afford it. It was twenty-five dollars, a measly amount, really, and admitting out loud to Annabeth that he didn’t know if he had that much money on him (after the indignity of admitting that he’d gotten on the wrong train in the first place) seemed impossible.

Her lips parted as she realised what he was saying. “I’ll pay for it,” she repeated, softer this time. 

He tried to protest, because that felt unfair, but she wouldn’t hear it. Just before their ride pulled up, she snapped at him, “God, Percy, if it really means that much to you, you can pay me back later by taking me out for dinner.”

She didn’t give him a chance to reply before she was sliding into the car, checking the destination with the driver, all business. Percy had no choice but to slide in after her, wondering if he’d heard her correctly.

Five minutes into the drive, Annabeth’s fingers found his on the smooth leather of the back seat, and when he grinned at her she smiled back. Percy wondered how it was possible that something that had been shaping up to be one of the most inconvenient experiences of his life had turned into one of the best coincidences he’d ever experienced.

He held her hand as she talked to him about how she actually hated the way high school worked but she needed to get good grades because she wanted to study architecture; as he explained that he wanted to like school but just wasn’t any good at it; as he answered his mom’s panicked phone call and explained that everything was fine, he’d be home soon, and as Annabeth quietly told him it was nice he had a parent who cared so much about him.

The unfamiliar surroundings gave way to recognisable streets and buildings soon enough, and they alighted just around the corner from Percy’s building. He flexed his fingers and gripped the strap of his backpack, trying to ignore how empty his hand felt without Annabeth’s in it. She smiled and stepped closer, and his heart began to race.

“If I had to get stuck out in the middle of nowhere with someone, I’m glad it was you,” she said, voice teasing.

“Oh, gee, thanks, Annabeth, that’s such a massive compliment -”

She cut him off by standing on tip toe and brushing her lips against the corner of his mouth. It was more the promise of a kiss than an actual kiss, but it was more than enough to wipe Percy’s mind of everything except for the sensation of her mouth against his skin for as long as it lasted.

When she pulled back, he gaped at her. “I-”

“Dinner sometime. You owe me.” And then she turned away and walked down the street, heading back to her dorm.

Percy lightly traced his fingers over his lips, smiling after her until she turned a corner and disappeared from view.


End file.
